Mystic Train Station - Mystic, CT - Train Stations/Depots on Waymarking.com

Mystic station is an intercity train station on the Northeast Corridor, located off Roosevelt Avenue (US 1) east of downtown Mystic, Connecticut. It is served by a limited number of trains on Amtrak's Northeast Regional service, with three to five daily trains in each direction. Mystic is one of only three stations on the Northeast Corridor (along with adjacent stations Westerly and Kingston to the north) to be served exclusively by Amtrak, with no commuter rail service.

The first Mystic station opened in 1858; it burned down and was replaced in 1866. The current station building was built in 1905. A classic small American train station, it was used as the model for American Flyer model stations for over 50 years. The station only has low platforms, unlike most Amtrak stations on the Northeast Corridor; however, a wheelchair lift is available for accessibility. The station building is used as a coffee shop and passenger waiting area.

The station was built in 1905 by the New Haven Railroad. The eastern half of the station was a waiting room for passengers, while the western half was a baggage room with few windows. The 1866-built station was repurposed as a freight house.

The New Haven Railroad folded into Penn Central in 1969, and passenger operations transferred to Amtrak on May 1, 1971. The station was in poor shape and closed to passengers; although ownership was uncertain, the property was claimed by Amtrak. It was resumed as a station stop in 1974, but no passenger facilities were available.

In 1976, a group of local residents formed Mystic Depot, Inc. to renovate and reopen the building. They received $40,000 from Amtrak, $15,000 from the state, and raised $36,000 from donations and memorabilia sales. Work began in late 1977 and the station was finished in April 1978. The station was restored to a typical mustard and maroon paint scheme. Amtrak leased the station to Mystic Depot, Inc. for $1.00 annually. The rails were moved slightly away from the station building in 1981 when the Mystic River bridge to the west was rebuilt on a new alignment. A wooden shelter was built around 1986 for eastbound passengers.

In 2001, the Greater Mystic Chamber of Commerce began operating a tourist center in the station. The waiting room and a ticket machine were available to passengers, and the station was staffed by volunteers. After the Chamber's lease expired, the station building was closed on March 15, 2015, though Amtrak service continued. Three proposals were submitted for reuse; a Rhode Island-based company won the lease in June 2015 to use the building as a cafe and gift shop. The new leasees began renovating the exterior in late 2015; the Mystic Planning and Zoning Commission approved the interior plan in December 2015. The shop, Mystic Depot Roasters, has seating and a ticket machine for Amtrak passengers; it opened on September 30, 2016.

Source: (visit link)

Is the station/depot currently used for railroad purposes?: Yes Is the station/depot open to the public?: Yes If the station/depot is not being used for railroad purposes, what is it currently used for?: The train station is used as a waiting area for passengers and also as a coffee shop. What rail lines does/did the station/depot serve?: New Haven Railroad (original) / AMTRAK (current) Station/Depot Web Site: [Web Link]

Visit Instructions:
Please post an original picture of the station/depot taken while you were there. Please also record how you came to be at this station/depot and any interesting information you learned about it while there.

Recent Visits/Logs:

There are no logs for this waymark yet.